Page 46 of Live To Tell

“Why do you do that in public?” I ask and wrinkle my nose. “It’s rather off-putting.”

“Nobody asked you to watch.” Holly smoothes her hair. “We were only kissing.”

“Mmm.” I flourish a hand. “Anyway. Grayson. Have you seen him?”

“At the bar earlier. Where did you go?”

“To speak to Kai.”

She splutters. “I bet he loved that.”

“No. He didn’t. But Kai isn’t having a ‘happy birthday’.”

“Oh, dear.” Holly plays with her newly attached pink nails.

“If you see Grayson, inform him that I’m searching for him.” I make to walk away. If he isn’t here, I want out of this cacophony stat.

“Violet.”

“I know that look. What have I done?” I ask. “I’ll locate and return Chase to you if my interruption bothers you that much, but it’s not as if you rarely see each other.”

“I have a favor to ask.”

“A favor?” Another quid pro quo request, sacred words to those I’ve met at the academy. Always a ‘favor’ rather than random acts of kindness. “I wasn’t aware I languished in ‘favor debt’.”

Holly half-smiles. “I’ll owe you one in return.”

“No. Keeping track confuses me.”

“Returning favors are not set in stone, Violet.”

“Yet it’s an unspoken rule.” I shake my head. “Proceed. What favor?”

“We share a room, right?”

“An obvious statement. Although often you’re a third person in Marci’s room.”

“Chase shares a room. Most humans do.”

“Yes. Why the discussion about accommodation arrangements?” I straighten. “Did you want me to leave the room?”

“Yes.” I gape at her. “No. I mean, yes.”

“You want a different roommate, as teachers once suggested?” How odd that her comment nauseates me.

Holly sighs and tugs on her bottom lip. “No, Violet. Would you stay somewhere else? Just for tonight?”

“Why?”

“Violet!” Holly lifts her eyes to the ceiling. “Your inability to read nuances is frustrating.”

“Your vocabulary is improving. My influence?” I ask.

She looks at me with the frustration she mentioned. “I want Chase to spend the night in our room.”

“And you need the other bed?”

Holly chokes. “Seriously, Violet? I don’t believe you’re that naive.”

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